Insomnia
by IcedChaiChibi
Summary: I think it's safe to assume insomnia would suck just as much for the residents of Arcadia Bay as It does for the rest of us, I can imagine that It's a bit problematic for Max...
1. Chapter 1

I caught a Magikarp yesterday :'D that has nothing to do with this but yeah...

Bunker Down is taking much longer to update than I'd like...

—

I couldn't help but gawk at the grounds in front of the girls dormitory, whale plushes of all different sizes and colors littered the lawn, I noticed that some were even in the trees and a few smaller ones, were laying near Tobanga.

It would be cute If it weren't so...Unusual.

The fact that everyone around me didn't seem to even notice the little whales presence, was even more strange, I tried asking some of the other students and even Victoria, but the only responses they gave me were a few odd looks before they all vanished into their respective dormitories.

I sat down of the dorms steps and huffed in frustration, burying my head in my arms in the process.

"You're not going crazy, Max. Ok so you don't know where all those whales came from, and no, you can't explain why no one, aside from you, seems to even notice them. But that doesn't mean you're crazy. You know some of the people here will go pretty far for a joke, at least this isn't hurting anyone. It is really strange though..."

I hadn't noticed Mr. Jefferson had entered the grounds, and had been walking steadily towards me, until he was about ten or so feet away.

"Good morning, Max."

I jumped in surprise, almost tipping over in the process.

I lifted my head to look up at the hipster, inhaling sharply before speaking.

"Good morning, Mr. Jefferson. Um...You scared me..."

The older man smiled apologetically.

"I apologize, Max, that wasn't my intention."

He continued to talk but I was drifting back to the train of thought I had been on, before he had arrived.

So much for my manners, sorry Mr. Jefferson.

I wasn't completely lost in thought though. I was able to redirect my gaze towards the ground, trying to keep direct eye contact with him made me nervous.

However, something colorful caught my attention.

Tucked under one of Jefferson's arms, much like someone would carry a bag or briefcase, was a small stuffed animal.

At first I thought it was just another whale, but upon closer inspection I saw that it was a shark.

I don't know why, but something about the sight of my teacher and a shark...It left me very unsettled. Even If It was just a little plushie.

"Max? What are you staring at?..." Jefferson had his head craned to the side, brow furrowed.

Why, in this seemingly endless sea of sweet little whales...Why was there a shark? I mean, technically It wasn't among them, the shark, Jefferson had been holding It. But there It was still there. And why was this bothering me to begin with?

Don't get me wrong, I'm an avid animal lover, but I'm still kind of afraid of sharks...I mean, who wouldn't be? They're big, they're fast and they are freakishly strong. Well...some sharks are anyway.

Despite the fact this shark was nothing but a toy, the unease did not lessen. I couldn't explain why a shark of all animals, at that moment, seemed to fit Jefferson to a T.

I remembered how Samuel had told me about spirit animals, after I told him about my encounters with that doe...his animal was a squirrel of course, I should have expected that, he did seem pretty tight knit with the animals around the campus, especially the squirrels.

Was this the same thing?

Funny contrast.

"Max, Max can you hear me?"

I hadn't noticed but Jefferson's voice seemed to be growing faint and distant.

Probably because I wasn't really listening.

Again, A+ manners. Mom would be proud.

Jefferson had bent down and was now kneeling in front of me, his face was etched with slight concern, I was dimly aware of his hands on my shoulders.

"Max please say something."

I didn't respond to him and instead I turned to look over to where all the whales had been, but now there was no trace of them, not a single plushie.

As I looked back at my teacher, It was an almost robotic motion. Like I was on autopilot, I could no longer verbally respond, just stare tiredly up at him.

Mr. Jeffersons voice was now far too distant to make out clearly, though tI could still Mae out his face, mostly, he almost looked a little panicked. It was weird, the harder I tried to focus on him, more specifically his voice, the more tired I got.

Eventually my eyes fluttered shut and everything was quiet for a moment.

A sudden shout made me eyes snap open.

"Max!"

I lifted my head, expecting to still be sitting outside, on the steps in front of my dorm, but no. I was in Jefferson's classroom.

I sleepily turned my head, taking in my surroundings...I saw Victoria, laughing and saying something to Taylor, I glanced over to the other side of the room and saw Kate and Warren, staring at me in a mixture of concern and confusion, Kate looked especially worried.

And...Oh right, Mr. Jefferson.

"Am I boring you, Ms. Caulfield?"

He looked irritated.

Jeffersons question brought me back to attention, "I- No sir. I just-" an untimely yawn cut me off which caused the man to sigh and stand up with a, "Please see me after class."

He turned his back, continuing the lecture, and returning to the front of the room.

I lowered my head and buried my face in my journal, trying to both, block out Victoria's quiet teasing but also trying to pay attention to the rest of Jefferson's lesson.

I wasn't able to accomplish much of either before class finally ended and my peers began to leave the room and disperse into the hallway.

Of course, Victoria took her sweet time leaving, taking yet another opportunity to try and get Jefferson's attention.

I rose to collect all of my things only to have Warren and Kate appear next to me and do It for me.

Ok that's a little unusual.

I smiled at both of them, "Thanks guys, but that really wasn't necessary..."

Warren was the first to speak up, "It kind of was, Max. Well, maybe not, but better safe than sorry."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, "That's a little ominous. What do you mean, Warren?"

"Well...Um. You know, just- You're not sick, are you Max?" Warren rubbed at the back of his neck nervously.

"That doesn't really answer my question. But no, I'm not sick. I'm fine."

Warren exchanged a look with Kate, the concern on their faces only grew more intense, Kate apprehensively reached out and gently touched my shoulder.

"Max, you...you passed out halfway through class. You had been so buried in some books when we came in, so we just thought you were still busy reading or working when you remained quiet. But then Mr. Jefferson walked up and asked you something..." Kate trailed off and almost instantly Warren picked up, I didn't have a chance to question anything about this conversation.

"You were breathing and everything so we just thought you were just resting for a minute. But other than that you didn't move, at all, you were mumbling though...It was weird. Jefferson almost had to shake you, to wake you up, scary."

Kate nudged Warren lightly to stop him,

"It took so long to wake you up, we were worried."

Man, now I feel guilty. My two friends had enough of their own problems to worry about, Kate in particular.

But now I had them worried about me. Hard to believe people like them attended BlackWell, with someone like Nathan Prescott around almost every corner. That just made them all the more awesome.

"I really haven't been sleeping well lately, insomnia I guess? I didn't realize It was so bad enough to make me blackout during a class. I'm really sorry..." I gave Kate's hand a gentle squeeze.

The two nodded in understanding, Kate still looked a little worried. Warren picked up in this.

"Well we all have Ms. Grant for the last class of today, right? If we explain what happened I'm sure she'll let you skip It. She wouldn't want you forcing yourself anymore than we would. And she's like, the chillest teacher here, She'll understand!" Warren pointed over towards the door.

Kate nodded, "We'll take care of It, Max. Just go get some rest, I'll bring some tea when I drop off your work after class, I have some that can probably help you sleep a little better."

Our teacher's less than subtle cough from the front of the room marked their cue to leave, "Thanks a lot, I really appreciate It. I really owe you guys."

They left the room, careful to avoid Victoria, leaving me to grab my bag and trudge up next to her and awkwardly stand there as she finished her conversation with Mr. Jefferson and shot me one last look before leaving the room.

After a moment Jefferson calmly walked across the room and gently shut the door before returning to lean back against his desk to face me. The fact he actually shut the door just made me more worried about what fate was about to befall me.

"Just how much sleep did you get last night, Max?"

His question caught me off guard, I was expecting the first words out of his mouth to be the start of a lengthy lecture, not a simple question.

I looked away from him, watching my peers pass back and forth, outside the door, this was so awkward. But standing here isn't going to help, you Max. Just reply and simply and quickly as possible.

"I...Got enough."

Jefferson sighed heavily, "Being cryptic won't help you out here nor will It allow you leave any sooner, Max. So please, answer the question properly, It doesn't need to be detailed."

"Fine, alright. I...I didn't sleep last night...at all. Ok? I've barely slept for the past few days, now can I please leave?" My irritability was not help matters, but I couldn't help It, I was just so tired and just wanted to go back to my room and sleep.

"And is there any particular reason why you have been unable to sleep? Has something been bothering you? Or someone?"

Sure there's a particular reason I can't sleep, there are a lot of reasons.

The apparent end of the world?

The tornado?

Nathan being Nathan and Victoria...well, being Victoria.

I was reunited with my best friend but only after I saw her get shot, let's not forget my sweet, new, nosebleed inducing, super powers.

I'm slowly transforming into a universal remote, cool beans.

"Life...Life in general. I don't know how else I can explain It to you, Mr. Jefferson. Everything's really overwhelming right now..." I sighed and sat down on a table across from him.

He didn't respond right away, that I was thankful for. It gave me a chance to calm down and compose myself a little, I let out one last huff as the last of my nerves finally unfrazzled themselves.

"I suppose I could give you one of those generic, 'life sucks for everyone, deal with It.' kind of spiels. But you deserve a better response."

Jefferson pushed himself off of his desk and began straightening himself out.

"While I cannot completely understand what It Is that's causing you so much stress and having such a negative affect on you-"

He lowered his voice a bit, "Although I could take a stab in the dark at who may be a stressor."

Yeah, he was definitely referencing Nathan.

"Max, I hope you know that there are a number of people here that would happy to help ease your troubles, as best they can, myself included. Though for the moment, the most I can do Is listen. I am genuinely sorry about all of this."

It was a little awkward, asking a teacher to essentially listen to me rant. And I'm not entirely sure It was all that appropriate. Venting I mean, Jefferson was expected to teach us, not act as a buddy or therapist. But I still found some comfort In what he said.

"Thanks Mr. Jefferson."

He just smiled slightly and nodded.

"Well I've lectured you enough for today, you're free to go, Max-" The older man briefly glanced down at his watch, "And I'm late for a meeting."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

Jefferson waved his hand dismissively as he collected his belongings, which he tucked under an arm.

"No need to apologize."

Watching him bundle up all those things...Wait...Oh- The shark!

"Can I ask you one last question?" I hopped up from the desk, securing my own things.

"You may. But please be quick."

I followed along behind him as he made his way over towards the door, "Do you like sharks, Mr. Jefferson?"

Turning off the lights as he went, "I respect them as predators, but I'm not particularly fond of them. Why do you ask?"

"No reason...Just curious."

A soft hum was his only response.

Jefferson locked the door behind us, I almost expected to see a key ring, with about a billion keys, but no, just one normal key.

"One last thing. I'm almost positive you'll cross paths with Warren before I do, can you please relay a message for me?"

That was unexpected.

"Um sure. What's the message?" I hope I can remember this, for all I know he could ask me to repeat the Declaration Of Independence.

"Please tell Warren that he must not try and 'borrow'-" Jefferson made air quotes, "The faculties swivel chairs, for any more of his...experiments. They're quite expensive, and may not be so easily replaced. He means but..."

Experiments?...

"He's taking the comfy chairs?"

The hipster chuckled, "Is that what you call them? And yes, he wanted to borrow one to test some sort of...mixture he made. He didn't elaborate on his plans. I'm sure It was harmless, especially coming from him. But I had to decline."

"I'll make sure he gets the message."

Despite my sleepiness, I had to hold back the urge to laugh. I could totally picture Chloe and Warren trying to pull off a grand heist to take one of the plush chairs. I'd imagine Chloe would be a bit more hyped than Warren though.

"Thank you. I hope you're able to get a good nights sleep. You deserve It." He waved before half walking, half jogging, down the hallway.

If only getting to sleep and staying asleep, were that simple.


	2. Chapter 2

AN; Alas sad lack of actual snowball battles. Lack of sleep and we had a snow storm. Is seemed fitting...Random unrelated one shots oh boy. Apart from Insomnia.

An unfamiliar weight on my mattress woke me from my slumber. Here I had been wrapped up cozily in my blanket cacoon and I was just fast asleep and now something had disturbed the peace and quiet.

But what? Did something fall off the wall and onto my bed? No, that didn't make sense. With where I was laying the only contents nearby were my countless and seemly never ending collection of selfies. Those clearly didn't have enough heft.

Most of the other rational explanations hadn't really quite registered yet.

I inwardly chuckled to myself, eyes sleepily began to close again.

I don't know. Maybe there's a ghost in my room?

A moment later my eyes shot open and I went rigid in my bed.

A ghost? I mean, I didn't really believe in the paranormal. But with how things were going lately...It wasn't that far fetched.

I swallowed nervously before peeking my head out from the safety of my blankets to check for danger.

Thankfully I was not met by a terrifying ghost or monster. However, the sight of Dana, sitting on the edge of my bed and leaning over to stare at me...It startled me.

In a moment of panic I had tried to push myself up but I ended up pushing myself off of my bed, in doing so I had taken my pillow and all my blankets with me. My brief shriek of terror was swallowed up by all the blankets as I landed in a heap on the floor.

Dana quickly stood up and knelt down to free me from my blanket and pillow prison. Smiling apologetically as she placed my bed things back on my mattress and helped me to my feet, "I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't realize you were so soundly asleep. When I knocked and you didn't reply, I thought you were just tired. Are you ok? You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Too tired to stifle a yawn, I just shook my head, "Good morning, Dana. And no, it's fine, I'm fine. But why are you in my room? N-Not that I'm not happy to see you. I am. But it's just..."

While it wasn't unusual for Dana to come to visit and hangout or chill with me in my room and vise versa, I wouldn't have expected her to show up so early in the morning. When I was still asleep in bed. Granted she didn't know I was really, actually asleep.

I absentmindedly turned around to check the time, only to see that I had slept in.

By approximately twenty minutes.

I attempted to sidestep Dana in a panic, going to reach for my clothes. "We were supposed to be in class by now!"

However Dana took me by the shoulders and stopped me. "Max it's ok, we're not late. Not today anyway. Relax."

Her reply did little to quell my growing worry.

"Classes have been postponed for today. Though we have to make up the missed work, tomorrow." That last part was less than enthused.

I gently brushed past Dana and grabbed my shower things. Gathering a fresh pair of clothes along with them, I eyed my bed and blankets for a moment, contemplating if I should try to tidy it up. My curiosity about what Dana had said was stronger than my desire to remake my bed though. I took one last look before turning back around to face Dana and ask,

"Why exactly are classes postponed? Did something happen?"

She frowned and looked at me strangely. That was not comforting.

"The snow?"

That wasn't a question.

"Last nights snow? I mean I know it was unexpected. And I know some people think it's...The end of the world. Which...Wouldn't surprise me."

I huffed softly before continuing.

"But there wasn't even enough snow to catch on the pavement. It's not like a few flurries are going to be dangerous."

Dana stared blankly at me, stepping back and up to my window. And gave a gentle tap against the glass.

"Seriously? Have you looked outside at all this morning? Max, it didn't stop snowing. It actually got worse. I mean, it's not up to the windows or anything. But there is a decent amount of snow outside. I think the weather said a couple inches? I ran to get you so I missed the rest of the forecast. It's funny though, the weather caster did mention that they expected the snow to stop in the next two days. Pretty precise, huh?"

She moved to open the window, "Here, look for yourself."

A flare of panic spiked through me as Dana went to unlock it.

Lisa. She could get sick.

"Dana wait- Please don't open it!" My voice came out in a panicked squeak as I dropped my things and rushed to shield my little plant.

"If it's that cold, Lisa could die." I went to my closet and began to search through my things, eventually I found what I was looking for.

Scarves.

It really didn't have all that much in terms of heavy winter clothing. Thankfully I did have some remotely appropriate clothing that would keep me warm...Mostly.

I dropped one scarf in my pile of clothes and knelt down next to Lisa with the other and carefully tucking it around her. I know she's not a person or even a pet so maybe the scarf was a fruitless attempt to keeping her warm but I had to try anyway. Though just to be safe, I scooted her just a little closer to my the heater before standing up and turning back around to face my friend.

"Who's Lisa?" Dana looked around as if expecting someone to materialize from thin air.

I gestured down at the little ficus.

For a moment Dana was very quiet. She simply glanced at me then over to Lisa then back again.

Oh wait. Was that weird? Naming plants? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

"Aw, you named your plant? Max that's so cute!"

Immediately my face heated up in embarrassment. Yeah I probably shouldn't have shared that.

Turning my head away and walking over to pick up my clothes, I gave a little cough and willed the blush to go away. I talked over my shoulder to Dana, I debated whether or not it was rude of me not to face her directly when speaking as I once again grabbed my little bundle of shower things and headed for the door.

Yeah it was pretty rude.

Sorry Dana. I don't mean to...

"I can understand people being surprised by the snow. I mean, we all were. But is it really necessary to cancel classes today? That seems more than a little extreme."

Dana slipped past me to open the door as I had been fruitlessly fumbling with the knob. And we stepped out into the hall. Quietly shutting the door behind her, Dana spoke in a hushed tone.

"Honestly I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine, Max. Today has been kind of chaotic. Principle Wells said something to all the teachers this morning. A few parents called in about it too. Really weird."

She paused and glanced over at Kate's door.

"Kate's been pretty quiet all morning. Like more than usual. I think she's been having trouble sleeping. I looked in on her before I went to you and she was asleep. Hopefully she can stay that way. She really looked exhausted..."

Oh Kate...I'm sorry.

Dana motioned for me to follow her as she continued. "Hayden said that he saw Nathan's father here. He went and talked to Well's then left. I don't know what he said but Nathan was pretty stressed about it..."

I tensed up mid step at the mention of Sean Prescott and almost tripped.

"Sounds scary..."

Dana nodded as we stopped at the restrooms and nodded over towards the exit.

"I'll wait for you. But yeah, I've never met him but from what I've heard, Nathan's dad isn't very friendly."

I just nodded in response before disappearing into the bathroom and did my thing as quickly as possible. Drying my hair however, took longer than I expected. Better safe than sorry though. I don't wanna get frostbite.

I briefly returned to my room to drop off my clothes and grab my bag and camera then headed back to Dana and followed her out of the dorms and into the chilly air.

Just our luck. The only spot I could see that had ice was the few several steps that we had to descend. Dana managed to walk down the stairs perfectly fine but I narrowly avoided falling face first onto the pavement. Thankfully Dana had rescued me.

While I tried and failed to walk off my fail, Dana disappeared back in the dorms before reappearing with a piece of paper and some tape to which she stuck onto the door.

I smiled at Dana and at the impromptu 'be careful of ice' sign on the door.

"There's another on the inside of the dorm. Hopefully that'll be enough until someone puts down some ice melt. Max, I'm going to go meet up with Juliet for cocoa and chill. You want to come? It'll be fun!" She beamed cheerily.

"Thanks for the offer but I think I'll stick around here for a bit. I want to take some pictures before someone tramples all the snow."

I gave my bag a gentle pat.

"Alright. But if you change your mind just text me." She said before jogging away towards the parking lot and out of view.

After a moment of waiting for a few last girls to leave the building I began snapping away pictures of various things. Alas there were no squirrels in sight. But I did manage to get some good shots. Unsure what to photograph next, I put away my camera and finally gave into the impulse to make a snowman.

I'm not sure how long I had been rolling around snow and forming snowman but after awhile I had created a small snowman army. Emphasis on small. They were pretty small but also pretty cute. I brought out my camera for a few minutes to snap more pictures before putting it away and begun building another little snowy troop for the group.

I had neglected to hear the approaching footsteps of someone as I was too entranced with building my little snowmen creations. So much so that I didn't even jump when a voice spoke up beside me. Nor did the all too familiar voice immediately register.

"You've accumulated quite the little army."

Unphased, I responded as I continued my painstaking work.

"We're going to take over BlackWell. Then Arcadia. Then the world eventually but you have to start small." I nodded confidently.

"That's quite the lofty goal, Max. Will you be a benevolent ruler?" The voice asked, amused.

I stood up as I finally finished the last snowman and dusted off my pants, "Of course." I finished and turned around.

The long delayed jump of surprise finally kicked in as I jumped back at the sight of our photography teacher. He uttered an apology as I composed myself and tried to give him a proper greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Jefferson..."

"I see you're enjoying the snow. Good morning, Max." The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

I probably wasn't the picture of maturity right now.

I wasn't sure how to act or respond so I simply tried to hide my reddening face in my scarf.

"No need to be embarrassed, Max. You're not the only one playing in the snow." A soft chuckle.

"I looked silly." I gently tugged my scarf down and let out a little huff of frustration.

Something occurred to me.

"Mr. Jefferson? Why are you here? The dorms I mean?..." Usually male teachers kept to the boys dorm and vise versa with the girls and the female teachers. For various reasons.

"I'm simply returning a few things. Several of your peers left behind some personal effects in the classroom. You left something as well. I've already returned most of the items. All but yours. All the classrooms are being reset. If someone left something and couldn't return to claim it, it would probably end up in the trash, I'm sorry to say."

Jefferson held out a familiar little pencil case to me. Oh wow I forgot that?

"That's awful nice of you. Rescuing everyone's things. Thanks, I hadn't even noticed that I forgot to grab that." Couldn't be too hard on myself given current events but I was usually so careful to grab everything before I left a room.

"Dana told me I might find you here. Normally I would ask one of your dorm mates to return this. But it's very sparse today. I can imagine those who have not driven off for the day are still in their rooms and I can't very well enter your dorm."

Yeah he definitely couldn't do that

Saying this, he bent down to inspect some of the snowmen. "Just how long have you been outside? There's an impressive number of snowmen here."

Here I had been expecting him to leave now that his task was complete. Guess not. This was a little awkward.

"For thirty or so minutes I think...I haven't exactly set a timer. Don't you have to get back to work?" I was thankful Mom and Dad had sent along extra gloves and stuff from home. I probably would have lost all feeling in my hands by now. Also maybe a few fingers to frostbite.

Jefferson stood, careful not to step on my little snowmen, and began straightening himself out.

"For once I have the luxury of time. With today's schedule being what it is. But yes, I do have to return to work."

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and spoke in an uncharacteristically chipper voice though it quickly turned into sarcasm, "Sorting through dusty old books and classrooms. Wells definitely knows how to have a good time..."

I couldn't help but frown at his words. "That can't be fun. I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson..."

He shook his head and chuckled, "You don't have anything to apologize for, Max."

I was about to ask something else when Warren suddenly came running around the corner and over a particularly large patch of ice and didn't so much as slip or trip.

What wizardry was this?...

The smile on the hipsters face was replaced by a neutral expression as Warren finally reached us. "Hello Warren."

"Hey Mr. Jefferson! Hi Max!" How much coffee did Warren drink?

He was like an over caffeinated puppy.

"Um hey Warren. What's going on?..."

Warren grinned and motioned behind him where Brook and Trevor stood. "We're all going to the Two Whales for breakfast. I mean, not everyone is going...I don't think. Dana and Juliet are there already. So is Hayden. Wanna come with? We're having a waffle off. It'll be awesome."

"What's a waffle off? You make it sound like a duel or something."

So was this like a like saber battle with waffles? Because I'd pay to see that. Though I'm sure Joyce would kick them out if they tried.

Trevor gave a shout in the distance, "Waffle eating competition."

"Waffles are life Max." Warren said matter of factly. I was looking back towards the parking lot so I only caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye but I swore I saw Warren dab.

I turned back to Warren but looked up at Mr. Jefferson briefly. For some reason I felt that I needed to ask his permission to go. Maybe because we were mid conversation.

Noticing this, he gestured past us. "Don't let me stop you. Just please be careful on the roads."

"Cool!", This time I clearly saw Warren make a familiar and silly motion that was a dab.

Mr. Jefferson was seemingly caught off guard by the sudden movement and took a step back in alarm.

"Warren, what on earth was that?"

Warren looked at Jefferson and tilted his head slightly. "What was what?"

Jefferson paused, before mimicking Warren.

Oh no.

Warren what have you done?

"Oh. That's a dab. Y'know dabbing? It's a dance."

Jefferson eyed him skeptically.

"That's...a dance?"

Warren nodded again.

"I see.", The older man looked uncomfortable.

In a desperate move to end the awkward silence that was beginning to envelope us, and avoid any further dabbing, I began pushing Warren away and towards the parking lot.

"Wow would you look at the time. Sorry for keeping you Mr. Jefferson."

Warren tried to interject with a "But Max you don't even have a watch..." but I powered on.

"And at this rate, all the waffles might be gone by the time we get to the Two Whales!"

That got Warren moving.

"Thanks again for bringing me my case. You really didn't have to do that. I know you have better things you could've been doing. If I was paying for attention you wouldn't have had to go out of your way. I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson." I looked up apologetically.

"No more apologies, Max. You haven't done anything wrong. If anything you've, spared me from a mountain of paperwork. So relax..."

I opened my mouth to object but the hipster held up a hand then pressed a finger to his lips in the universal sign of 'quiet'.

"Go, get some breakfast and enjoy your...'Waffle off'. Now I have to get going. I'll see you later."

I uttered a soft goodbye and feebly waved before Mr. Jefferson left to return back into the school.

I had to run awkwardly across the grass to avoid most of the ice and catch up to Warren and the others. Warren immediately expressed his concern about the possibility of his stomach eating itself out of sheer, extreme, hunger. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. Poor Warren.

Today was certainly going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

((AN; Bunker down will be out within the next day/next couple of days.))

I probably should have been paying attention in class, I probably should have also not glared at Mr. Jefferson, it's not that it was specifically meant for him but he was just the first person I happened to look at when I could no longer hold the neutral expression I had been using since the beginning of the day.

But I just couldn't be bothered with it.

I'm so thankful that Kate is getting the help that she needs and I'm happy she's away from any toxic behavior or people here.

But...

We just went right back to classes like it was any other day, Nathan was gone, sure- which I was glad for but as far as the majority of the school was considered, it was 'just another day'.

Ok, so it may have been unrealistic to expect the school to suddenly cancel all of the classes but still.

How many people even cared about what happened yesterday? Ms. Grant cared, of course she cared. I'm not sure she even has it in her to be mean or uncaring.

If she did then I couldn't picture it.

Warren and Daniel cared, Dana did too. Plus Chloe, though if I'm just counting blackwell's current student body...

I wasn't quite sure who exactly I was supposed to be mad at. Aside from Nathan.

So I had proceeded to bottle up all my anger and confusion, some of it slipping out here and there. Most people didn't notice it. I was quiet and didn't say anything and giving someone a look, glaring daggers or no, was pretty easy to ignore or miss.

But then there was Mr. Jefferson.

Of course he would be the only one who actually noticed me.

He had said something to me, something I didn't quite catch.

I'm pretty sure it had something to do with staying after class.

'Wow, that's new and something that he totally hasn't done for ages now.'

I managed not to roll my eyes.

'I don't think he's going to be asking me for an update on my "Every Day Heroes" entry.'

I wasn't sure if I should be glad about that.

"Max?"

'But what if he asks that too? No...no, he wouldn't right? ...I swear if he follows this up by another question about this stupid contest, I'm going to hit him in the face with one of his own cameras-'

"Maxine Caufield!"

I jerked my head up and blinked, "What?"

And...the room was empty. And I was still sitting at my desk.

'How did I not hear the bell?'

"Max, come here please.", Jefferson motioned to the front of the class where a lone chair was propped up next to his own desk.

I gathered up my things but then paused and looked back at him.

"Why?"

He sighed heavily, slipping off his glasses and set them aside to rub at his temples.

Before he could respond and with a mixture of lack of sleep, frustration and just...anger. My filter had stopped working entirely.

"You look younger without them..."

He tensed for a moment, hand hovering over his glasses and turned his head to face me.

He squinted at me, with was looked like confusion. But something...different took its place. But only for a moment, then it was gone.

Whatever it had been, it made me nervous.

He repeated himself. "Max, come here."

The 'uncharacteristic Max Caufield' train was still chugging down the tracks, so instead of just getting up and walking over like I should have...I just leaned back in my chair and stared right back. "Why? Why should I?"

He said something under his breath and motioned again to the seats. "Because we need to talk and you're not a child, so stop acting like one."

I didn't budge.

With a muttered line of...something, Jefferson smoothly walked over and shut the door, then turned on his heel, snatching up a chair as he went and in one swift motion, flipped the chair around and sat down.

For a moment all I could do was tilt my head, straddling a chair did not seem like a very teacher like or professional thing to do.

Then again this man treated our desks as impromptu chairs.

But we did the same, so this was far stranger.

"So, can we going to have a civil conversation now?"

That one obnoxious line from grade school came to mind.

And it left my mouth before I could stop it.

"I don't know. Can you?"

The look on his face instantly made me regret that decision.

"Clearly something is troubling you. Being so flippant, disrespectful- disrupting class. Multiple times."

When he spoke again, he did so gently, calmly. In a way that I had never heard before.

And definitely one that did not match the expression on his face. Though it softened as he spoke.

"This is very unlike you Max."

Careful to avoid my camera, I hugged my bag in some feeble attempt at comfort.

"You can talk to me Max."

That made me straighten up, suddenly snapping at him, "Everyone has been saying that. Principal Wells said that-" I began but was cut off mid-sentence.

"I am not Principal Wells.", I opened my mouth to reply but he cut me off as he held up a finger.

"We handle things very differently. As I'm sure you are quite aware.",

"I'm not here to bootlick or babysit Blackwells 'Golden boy'. I am here to teach, not hold anyone's hand."

Taking a moment to turn his chair around to sit properly, he added, "I do however, still care about the wellbeing of my students. Some more than others, I'll admit. And I regret how I've responded to or handled some situations."

He looked me dead in the eye, "Like Kate. I should have been more...delicate with her, to say the least. I could have been a contributor to her stress, I believe I was. If by a little."

I couldn't maintain eye contact with that comment.

"I assume that has something to do with your duress. Though I can only guess by how much I contribute.",

Pausing, his voice took on a hint of amusement, "Also, why you looked ready to stab someone with a pen for the duration of class today."

I just gave a nod.

"Despite potentially being part of the problem, I'm always here to listen Max. If you have concerns, I'll hear you out."

Mr. Jefferson finally stood up and walked back up to his desk, snagging a note as he went and began scribbling something down.

"It would seem that you're late to your next class," he began, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I've written you a note with an explanation." He said as he handed me the slip of paper as I finally reached the front of the room.

"Attending another class will not be doing you any good for the moment. Go back to your dorm, take a walk, just try and relax as best you can. Rest if you're able."

More nodding as I headed out, but as I reached for the handle on the door, Mr. Jefferson called out one last night, making me look back over my shoulder.

"And Max? While Nathan may be expelled, I don't doubt that he'll sneak back in at some point. So let me know if he starts bothering you again."

Though faint, he smiled briefly.

"He won't be a problem."


End file.
